Assam biker dies after allegedly being attacked by wild rhino

A 40-year-old biker from Assam’s Kamrup district was found dead on Sunday morning after a wild rhino allegedly attacked him near the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.

According to the locals, the incident happened at Pobitora’s Hadugor area at around 10am. The onlookers said that a wild rhino suddenly came out of the forest and attacked the biker after he crossed a bridge.

“The person fell off his motorcycle, but the rhino kept hitting him and at one point it left him severely injured,” they said.

They informed the forest officials and police before taking the injured person to a nearby government hospital. According to the locals, the forest officials and police reached the spot hours after the incident.

Police said that the person was declared dead by the doctors on arrival.

“Since the movement of rhinos is common in that area, it is possible that he was attacked by the wild creature. We are investigating the matter,” a police officer said.

According to the officials, the deceased was identified as Saddam Hussain, a resident of Sonapur’s Kosutoli area and according to his family members, he was traveling to Chamata area from Mayong on his two-wheeler vehicle.

Locals said that this incident highlights the man-animal conflictin the area and appealed to the state government to take appropriate measures to bring a balance.

“There has to be a proper plan to keep the wild creatures at a safe distance from humans. But here we don’t see the forest officials even after we face attacks. In this particular case, they reached the spot hours later,” said a local resident.